Ford PH donates to Transit van to SOS to boost food rescue ops

Ford Philippines has turned over a Transit van to the Scholars for Sustenance (SOS) as part of its support to the latter’s food rescue operations.

Aside from the delivery of the unit, the Blue Oval brand’s local arm also handed over a $30,000 (nearly P1.7 million) grant through the Ford Fund.

Ford Philippines turned over the vehicle to the organization during SOS’ Zero Summit Philippines 2023 (themed “Zero to Hero”) held last August 8. The aforementioned summit is eyed at fostering collaboration among various stakeholders including the academe, business organizations, civil societies and government agencies to achieve the goal of zero food waste and zero hunger by 2030.

SOS Philippines food rescue program aims to cut down food wastage through collaboration with its donors in collection of surplus food, ensuring food safety in handling and delivery of the goods to partner communities.

 

With the Ford Transit, SOS Philippines can proactively recover and transport non-perishable food items and subsequently transform the collected items into more nourishing meals to effectively address hunger within underserved communities while reducing food wastage.

“We are fully committed to supporting SOS Philippines and its advocacy of serving undernourished communities and curbing food wastage in the country. We trust that the Ford Transit will boost their mobility needs from various establishments to the communities who will benefit from this worthwhile endeavor,” Ford Philippines Government and Corporate Affairs Director Josie Gonzalez said.

The initiative is crucial to meeting SOS Philippines’ goal in curbing food wastage, considering that in the Philippines alone, one in every ten households experience issues of food insecurity and hunger while a substantial amount of food goes to waste from establishments.

“There is an abundance of food available, and our mission at SOS is to ensure it reaches those in need. Reducing food waste and alleviating hunger requires a multifaceted restructuring of the entire food system, from production and distribution to consumption,”  SOS Managing Director for the Philippines and Thailand James Leyson was quoted as saying.

To note, the Transit is no longer part of the Ford Philippines’ current lineup.

Photos from Ford Philippines, Autohub Group

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